IFCC Webinar on:

Analytical and Clinical Aspects of Natriuretic Peptides

This webinar, organized by the C-CB, addresses educational issues pertaining to natriuretic peptide (NP) assays and their role in laboratory medicine and clinical practice. Presentations  addresses the differential diagnosis of increased NPs, review the appropriate indications for utilization of NPs for ruling in and ruling out heart failure and in assessing therapy and risk outcomes. Guideline and recommended medical decision thresholds will be addressed for appropriate NP assays use, along with educating audience on what BNP and NT-proBNP assays are measuring in health and disease.

Specifically, Drs Saenger and Kavsak will focus on the AACC and IFCC guidelines and recommendations pertaining to the analytical roles of the numerous BNP and NT-proBNP assays to better understand what forms of natriuretic peptides and their degradation products are being measured in acute and chronic heart failure patients. Further, they will address appropriate cutoff concentrations and how they should be determined for use in clinical practice. Prof. Lam with review how the similarities and potential differences for how BNP and NT-proBNP assays are used in clinical practice, along with international heart failure association practice guidelines and recommendations.

This webinar comprises of three following presentations of 20 min each, followed by 20 min of panel discussion at the end where the speakers will answer to your questions.
Chair/Moderator: Prof. Jordi Ordonez-Llanos
Talk 1: " Natriuretic Peptides: Laboratory & Assay Analytics Part 1" – Dr. Amy Saenger
Talk 2. " Natriuretic Peptides: Laboratory & Assay Analytics Part 2" – Dr. Peter Kavsak
Talk 3: " Clinical Utilization of Natriuretic Peptides in Heart Failure" - Prof. Carolyn S.P. Lam

IFCC Webinar on:

High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Assays - Clinical Applications

This webinar, organized by the C-CB, addresses educational issues pertaining to high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I & T assays and their role in clinical practice. Evidence-based educational information addresses their utilization for the detection and management of myocardial injury, early rule out of myocardial infarction in the emergency department, and diagnostics and risk assessment and stratification in patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of ischemia. Current guidelines and recommendations are presented and appraised.

Specifically, Professor Jaffe  elaborates on the non-ACS myocardial injury patients, Professor Omland on the role of hs-cTn assays in the diagnosis of type 1 and type 2 MIs as well as address baseline concentration pertaining to risk stratification and short and long term outcome assessment, while Professor Body  focuses on both baseline and 0/1h and 0/2 h rule out pathways to better manage and triage patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of MI.

This webinar comprises of three following presentations of 20 min each, followed by 20 min of panel discussion at the end where the speakers will answer to your questions.

Chair/Moderator: Prof. Fred Apple

Talk 1: "Myocardial Injury" - Prof. Allan Jaffe 

Talk 2. " Early Rule Protocols" - Prof. Richard Body

Talk 3: " Diagnosis and Risk Assessment" - Prof. Torbjørn Omland

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IFCC Webinar on:

 "Laboratory & Analytical Aspects of High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Assays : Views from the C-CB"

This webinar, organized by the C-CB,  addresses educational issues pertaining to high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I & T assays and the clinical laboratory’s role in patient care addressing assay imprecision, interferences and implementation, including point of care assays. We  provides evidence-based information that laboratory professionals will be able to use to education their clinical colleagues for optimal interpretation of cTn measurements. Professor Apple will both moderate the session, as well as discuss the recent advances of whole blood POC hs-cTn assay. Professor Collinson will discuss the challenges related to real world practice in consideration of establishing hs-POC testing in parallel or combination with central laboratory testing. Dr. Aakre will address how imprecision of hs-cTn assays may affect patient classifications in early rule out strategies used in the emergency department. Professor Hammarsten will educate the audience on the latest developments of macro-troponin interferences that can be quite variable between hs-cTn assays, and explain how this interference concerns clinicians with interpretation during patient care.

This webinar comprises of three following presentations of 20 min each, followed by 20 min of panel discussion at the end where the speakers will answer to your questions.

Chair/Moderator: Prof. Fred Apple
Talk 1: "Challenges for Implementation" - Prof. Paul Collinson
Talk 2. " Analytical Performance of Assays and Effects on Algorithms Used in the Emergency Department" - Dr. Kristin Moberg Aakre
Talk 3: " Assay Interferences - Macro-Troponin" - Prof. Ola Hammarsten